For many years now, basins that are installed in bathroom vanity counters and the like, and kitchen sinks, have for the most part been of the self-rimming variety. That is, the rim of the basin or sink is held down by one or another means against the upper surface of the vanity or counter, and sealed against it, to prevent leakage and also for purposes of styling and appearance. Bathroom basins of the self-rimming variety are generally enamelled steel or vitreous china, whereas most kitchen sinks are formed of monel or stainless steel. Most of such basins and sinks are drawn and then stamped using conventional drawing and staping techniques; and indeed, many kitchen sinks are formd with two bowls adjacent to each other.
There have been two general means by which self-rimming sinks and basins have been mounted in and secured to a counter or vanity; and they have been either by mounting off the rim or off the bowl. No matter which manner of mounting is used, there must be some specific design features of the sink or basin by which the clamping structures may be fitted to and co-operate with the sink or basin to effect the clamped and secure mounting. This is, however, especially true for sinks or basins which are mounted off the rim, rather than with respect to sinks or basins which are mounted off the bowl.
The following discussion is particularly related to self-rimming sinks, but it will be clearly understood that the discussion is equally as applicable to self-rimming basins.
In any event, as mentioned, it is generally accepted that sinks or basins that are mounted off the rim require special design so as to accommodate or co-operate with the clamping structure. For example, typical clamping structures for self-rimming sink structures, each of which requires a special design of the sink rim--and thus requires considerable extra costs for manufacture--are shown in RICHARDSON U.S. Pat. No. 2,925,609, issued Feb. 23, 1960 and JUST U.S. Pat. No. 3,020,563 issued Feb. 13, 1962. In each of those patents, there is taught a structure which has a clamping member having an arm through which a bolt is threadably passed to interfere with the under surface of the counter in which the sink is mounted. The clips have ends that co-operate with specially designed and shaped structures that are formed or welded into the sink structure.
A more usual way of mounting sinks, at least in the Canadian market and in increasing numbers elsewhere, is for a number of brackets to be welded around the periphery of the bowl (or bowls) of the sink structure, to which a small clip is fitted. The clip that is generally used is that which is particularly illustrated in HARTOG U.S. Pat. No. 2,846,695, dated Aug. 12, 1958. That clip simply comprises an L-shaped element having a leg which passes into an opening of a bracket, and a leg through which there is threadably engaged a bolt which may be tightened against the under surface of the counter.
A further, slightly different arrangement that is also used, comprises an injection moulded plastic clip having a clamping lip which is adapted to fit over the edge of a clamp, and having a generally horizontally extending arm through which a bolt (also plastic) is threadably passed.
However, by such Hartog or similar clip has had a number of disadvantages, until the provision of the present invention. Most of those disadvantages arise from the fact that the bolt is generally in fairly close proximity to the bowl of the sink (or basin), creating very limited working space within which the bolt may be tightened--indeed, as is clearly illustrated in the Hartog patent. Moreover, since the opening through which a sink is fitted may sometimes be not wholly accurate, and especially it may be over-sized, so that the cup at the top of the bolt which passes through the horizontal arm of the Hartog clip may only engage with half or less of its area against the underside of the counter structure at the edge of the opening therein. Attempts to increase the distance from the bowl of the sink at which the bolt passes through the arm have given rise to other difficulties, notably that the initial mounting of the clip and beginning the engagement of the bolt to the under surface of the counter is difficult. Still further, it has been found that over-tightening of the bolt against the under surface of the counter may create forces in the side of the bowl at the bracket, whereby the bowl of the rim may be distorted or, in extreme cases, the bracket become loosened if the welding by which it has been secured to the bowl has not been well made.
It has thus become a principal purpose of this invention to provide an improved clamping structure, particularly for use in clamp assemblies whereby self-rimming sinks or basins may be mounted through an opening in a supporting counter structure or the like, and which overcomes the faults and shortcomings of previous structures. Moreover, the present invention serves to provide a clamp structure which may be easily and inexpensively produced, and which provides a secure clamping assembly by which the sink or basin is easily but securely mounted.
To effect these advantages, the present invention therefore provides a clamp assembly which is intended for use with self-rimming sinks or basins as discussed above, where the sink or basin has a bowl and a plurality of brackets secured at least intermittently around the outer surface of the bowl at positions which are neither at the top nor the bottom of the bowl--i.e., at positions which are intermediate the height of the bowl. Each of the brackets is, of course, understood to have a downwardly facing opening from the top thereof, but is usually entirely open from top to bottom, where the opening is adjacent the outer surface of the bowl of the sink or basin, at the bracket.
To co-operate with the brackets, or at least some of them depending on certain aspects of the mounting of the sink or basin as discussed hereafter, there is provided a generally L-shaped clamp structure which has a first, generally horizontally disposed arm, and a second, generally vertically disposed leg which depends downwardly from the arm. A bolt is threadably received in and passed substantially perpendicularly through the horizontal arm, and the bolt has engageable means at the lower end thereof by which the bolt may be turned. Means are also provided at the upper end of the bolt for engaging the under surface of the supporting counter structure or the like, through an opening of which the sink or basin is being mounted.
A clamp arm is provided in the generally L-shaped clamp structure, spaced from the side of the leg which is opposite the generally horizontally disposed arm. The clamp arm is such that it depends downwardly from a clamping shoulder which is upstanding from the leg, and the clamp arm is substantially parallel to the contiguous portions of the leg of the clamp structure and is spaced from those contiguous portions of the clamp structure a sufficient distance to accommodate one of the brackets fixed to the side of the sink or basin being mounted.
The lower portion of the leg is offset from the upper portion in a direction away from the generally horizontally disposed arm of the clamp, to an extent that it will contact the outer surface of the bowl at a place below the bracket with which the clamp arm is engaged, so that the bolt is maintained in a substantially vertical orientation.
Additionally, of course, sufficient space is provided at the bottom end of the bolt so that the bolt may be easily and conveniently turned into engagement at its upper end with the under surface of the supporting structure.